metro
Shaken Trust
Parents of JCC day campers react to counselor's arrest for child pornography.
Ronelle Grier
Contributing Writer
C
ampers, parents and staff mem-
bers of the Jewish Community
Center (JCC) Day Camps con-
tinue to react to the Aug. 12 arrest of
counselor and unit head Matthew Kuppe,
21. He was charged by federal authorities
for child pornography, including allegedly
taking nude photographs of JCC campers
and posting them on a foreign website.
Kuppe, who headed the Trekkers pro-
gram for middle school children, was
arrested at his West Bloomfield home by
officers from the Department of Homeland
Security, who were accompanied by
members of the West Bloomfield Police
Department. After spending the night in
the West Bloomfield police headquarters,
Kuppe was turned over to federal officials.
According to court documents, he was
charged in U.S. District Court on Aug. 13
with production, possession, receipt and
distribution of child pornography.
An affidavit submitted by a Homeland
Security special agent used to secure the
complaint and arrest warrant stated that
nude photographs of young boys were
posted on a website under the username
"JCCLOCKERROOM." The affidavit con-
tained excerpts from emails obtained by
an undercover investigator, which included
graphic descriptions of purported sexual
contact with one of the boys, as well as
other explicit content.
Kuppe was arrested as the result of a
Homeland Security investigation that
traced the IP address of his computer to
his parents' home in West Bloomfield,
where he was living during the summer. A
rising senior at Michigan State University
who was planning to become a therapist
for couples and families, Kuppe worked
at the JCC camps the previous summer as
an inclusion counselor for children with
special needs.
In keeping with camp policy, Kuppe,
like all counselors, passed a criminal back-
ground check prior to his employment,
in accordance with guidelines established
by the American Camping Association,
an accreditation organization. This also
included reference checks and vetting
through state and national sex offender
lists, Jim Issner, JCC executive director,
told the JN.
"A clearance is secured through the
Michigan Department of Human Services
relative to the Child Abuse/Neglect Central
Registry System:' he said. "In addition,
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August 20 • 2015
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Matthew Kuppe, who was arrested Aug. 12 at his West Bloomfield home, was a
counselor/unit head at the JCC Day Camps in West Bloomfield.
counselors sign off on a Center Day Camps
discipline and child abuse policy, child
protection reporting guidelines and Code
of Ethics compliance and Staff Handbook
documents. In addition, they sign off on
an electronics communications policy.
"The health, safety and welfare of our
campers remain our highest priority:'
Issner said.
This situation comes as the JCC faces
the closing of its Jimmy Morris Prentis
JCC building in Oak Park on Aug. 31.
That financially motivated decision has
prompted months of dissatisfaction from
significant numbers of community mem-
bers, especially those living in areas sur-
rounding JPM.
Parental Concerns
Some parents felt action taken by the JCC
in the wake of Kuppe's arrest was not swift
or thorough enough to suit the situation.
The mother of a child in the Trekker's
unit learned about the arrest on the news.
She thought the parents of Kuppe's camp-
ers should have received a phone call or
specific email before the story hit the
headlines.
"I felt they should have immediately
contacted the parents of the Trekker
campers:' said the mother, who did not
want her name used. "What made me real-
ly frantic when I got home on Thursday
was that I couldn't get hold of anyone at
the JCC for a good two hours. I know they
were probably being bombarded, but I was
a Trekker parent and I needed to talk to
someone immediately."
An Aug. 13 email signed by Issner and
JCC Board President Brian Siegel informed
parents an unnamed counselor had been
arrested for allegedly possessing photos of
three campers taken in the locker room.
The following day, also the last day of the
regular camp session, another email was
sent to update parents and announce that
counseling support would be available
through Jewish Family Service for chil-
dren, staff and parents.
The mother of the Trekker camper said
she would have liked some guidance about
how to explain the situation to her son
before he returned to camp the following
day.
"We tell our kids camp is a safe place
and the people there will take care of
them:' she said. "How do I explain this ter-
rible thing had happened with someone he
had become close with? It was a discussion
I was not prepared to have. I needed help,
and no one was responding."
Bingham Farms-based clinical psycholo-
gist Paul C. Jacobs said it is important to
teach children their bodies are private.
"They need to understand the differ-
ence between good and bad touching:' he
said, adding that children who are sexually
abused often suffer lifelong effects. "It's
one of the most difficult things to work
through."
Jacobs recommends A Very Touching
Book by Jan Hindman (Alexandria Assoc.,
1983), a book he has found helpful for
children and adults.
Another mother whose child was in a
different camp unit was frustrated her
emails and phone messages had gone
unanswered in the days immediately fol-
lowing Kuppe's arrest.
"I bet 99 percent of the parents are won-
dering if their kid was impacted — even
if this guy wasn't their counselor or in the
same unit:' said the mother, who asked to
remain anonymous.
Issner said, "We have been and will
continue to be in communication with the
parents and guardians
of campers who were
enrolled this summer
and last (the time dur-
ing which this particular
counselor was employed
at the JCC). We also per-
sonally called back every
parent
who reached out
Jim Issner
to the JCC. We will con-
tinue to stay in contact
as soon as additional
accurate information is made available to
us. We encourage anyone with questions
or concerns during this difficult time to
contact us."
According to the Aug. 14 email, the JCC
is exploring the idea of a family forum
where therapists from Jewish Family
Service will share appropriate ways to dis-
cuss these issues with children.
Authorities are continuing the investiga-
tion to determine whether more victims
were involved and whether any of the chil-
dren were sexually abused in addition to
being photographed. If evidence of sexual
abuse is found, Kuppe could face prosecu-
tion in Oakland County in addition to
the federal child pornography charges,
according to Lt. Curt Lawson of the West
Bloomfield Police.
To minimize trauma to the potential
victims as well as other children who may
have relevant information, interviews will
be conducted by a trained professional at
CARE House, an Oakland County facility
that specializes in helping victims of child
abuse and determining whether sexual
abuse has occurred.
"Because [Kuppe] has been charged
federally, we have time to be thorough:'
Lawson said. "We have a lot of manpower
and protocols on this."
At press time, Kuppe was scheduled to
appear in U.S. District Court on Tuesday,
Aug. 18.
A 24/7 hotline has been set up by the
U.S. Attorney's Office for those who have
information or questions: Call (888) 702-
0553 or email usamie.victimservices@
usdoj.gov. Or call the West Bloomfield
Police Department at (248) 975-9200.
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